This is the fourth Mediterranean diet cookbook created by registered dietitians Serena Ball and Deanna Segrave-Daly. This cookbook features more than 100 recipes featuring brain-healthy nutrients to boost your mood and reduce your risk of cognitive decline. The book starts with a brief explanation of the staples of Mediterranean cuisine and the benefits of following this diet. The recipes are then conveniently organized into Breakfast, Small Plates and Snacks, Salads, Sides, Soups, Sandwiches and Pizzas, Pasta, Vegetarian Main Dishes, Seafood, Meat & Poultry, and Desserts. Each chapter begins with a list of the included recipes (as clickable links in the ebook), making it easy to find the recipe you want.

The recipes are clearly written with helpful notes and include number of servings, prep and cook time, and basic nutrition information (very helpful for those of us who have to count carbs). Each recipe also includes a Healthy Kitchen Hack, which might suggest substitutions or variations, shortcuts, or ways to store and repurpose leftovers. The recipes do assume some cooking knowledge, and a few times I was wishing the authors had provided further preparation instructions.

Attractive photographs are included for many (though certainly not all) of the prepared recipes. Many of the recipes are or can be made gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, vegetarian, or vegan, and the back matter includes a recipe guide for these special diets. Most of these recipes use ingredients I already had on hand, but depending on how you normally eat, some of the ingredients may seem exotic to you. You might need to purchase a few items at specialty markets or online.

I’ve tried quite a few of the recipes, with good results. The Nutmeg Oatmeal Custard was delicious and filling. We enjoyed the Berry Smart Seeded Dressing over Greens, although we had some trouble blending the dressing with frozen berries; next time we’ll defrost those first. The Spicy Green Bean and Potato Salad was a delicious and easy to prepare side that has gone into our regular rotation. The Sautéed Greens with Honey-Tahini Sauce was another winner. I enjoyed the Roasted Potatoes and Beets with Herbed Ricotta, although it failed to turn my partner into a fan of beets. The Stracciatella Soup with Chicken and Spinach was a soothing meal that would be great for a sick day, but was otherwise a little underwhelming. Crispy Za’atar Tilapia with Orange Slices was a lovely surprise. The Puttanesca Fish Stew was excellent—easy to prepare with bold flavors. The Lebanese Spiced Cabbage Rolls with Rice were delicious but too labor-intensive for us to make very often (next time we’ll try the deconstructed version suggested in the hack). North African Spiced Yogurt Chicken was tender and flavorful. The Cherry-Pomegranate Risotto Pudding was creamy and delicious, and I look forward to trying other variations. I also look forward to trying the Olive Oil Berry Breakfast Cake, Chocolate-Tahini Power Shakes, Slow Cooker Baked Potatoes with Mediterranean Toppers, Pomegranate Chicken with Turmeric Pistachio Rice, and Moroccan Spiced Hot Chocolate, among others.

In addition to the Recipe Guide for Special Diets, the back matter provides sample 5-Day Meal Plans, a Selected Bibliography, and an Index.

My overall impression is that this cookbook offers some intriguing choices for adventurous cooks wanting to try new recipes from throughout the Mediterranean region. Some of the recipes were a little more labor intensive than I prefer, but I can tweak them to better suit my cooking style. I found this a good source of new ideas and creative flavor combinations.

I received an ARC through NetGalley. I volunteered to provide an honest review.

Great recipes ideas backed by science. Simple, easy and delicious recipes with a nice variety of ingredients and flavors to satisfy all eaters.

Shop the pantry so many of the items you already have on hand. The recipes look delicious and are easy to follow. Healthy Kitchen Hack was one of the best parts and some of them are great and I bet you’ve never heard it before.

Thanks NetGalley!

This book has it all from breakfast to desserts and everything in between; including a vegetarian section. They "boiled down" neuroscientific research and created brain nourishing recipes to keep your mind sharp. I like that it doesn't give the added "fluff" of their personal backstories, but explains the "why" that certain foods and their nutrients are good for you. It includes a recipe guide for special diets as well as a 5 day meal plan. The ingredients are ones most of us already have and most have pictures included.

Thank you NetGalley and BenBella Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
#TheSmartMediterraneanDietCookbook #NetGalley

I was eager to see if there were some new-to-me recipes in this book. I love Mediterranean cuisine and have been trying to eat more along these lines recently. I found several recipes that I am eager to try like ‘walnut and herb crusted baked goat cheese’ and ‘black pepper and coffee roasted carrots’ and the ‘pan fried Parmesan pecan chicken’. The photos are fresh and enticing. I felt this was a nice collection of different kinds of Mediterranean recipes.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: May 7, 2024

If you can get past the endless preachy “eat ____ and cure ____” nonsense as if this cookbook is the answer to end all of one’s ailments, you’ll find some decent recipes in here.

The veggie-heavy recipes were definitely the highlights, as I’m always looking to make them more interesting. I do wish there were photos of all recipes, especially for some less widely known recipes. Glaze over the medical advice, and you’ll find some gems to add variety to your meal plan!

The Smart Mediterranean Diet Cookbook had a variety of healthy, easy-to-prepare recipes with readily available ingredients. The recipe intros and quotes added a personalized touch, and the nutrient information was helpful. Some recipes were quite creative but still accessible. Overall, this is a good cookbook. I'll add a few recipes to my menu rotation.

Thank you to NetGalley and BenBella Books for the opportunity to review this cookbook.

The Smart Mediterranean Diet Cookbook is jam-packed with information about this healthy lifestyle, along with practical tips and mouthwatering recipes.

I happily live part time in the Mediterranean and attest to the incredible array, quality and availability of ingredients in this region. The authors describe the many benefits of mindful eating, especially as it relates to impacting mental health. The Mediterranean diet is proven to reduce the effects of anxiety disorders, dementia, inflammatory diseases and Alzheimers. Tips for improving memory are included as well. Enjoying seafood twice weekly, extra virgin olive oil daily and fatty fish regularly are just a few.

Amongst the many recipes I will make are Honey-Turmeric Peanuts, Olive Oil Berry Breakfast Cake, Marvelous Mediterranean Olives, North African Sweet Hot Pepper Pickles, Black Pepper and Coffee Roasted Carrots, Mushroom Daube, Grilled Fish and Almond Honey Mustard Sauce, and Easiest Broiled Shrimp.

This well-researched book belongs in your culinary library if you wish to learn more about the virtues of Mediterranean ingredients. Dietary adaptations are included.

My sincere thank you to BenBella Books and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this delectable book.

A smart cookbook that shares wonderfully delicious well written easy to follow recipes (each with a purposeful kitchen hack) and aims to further educate us how and why we should eat healthier and how the Mediterranean style of eating can positively impact our lives and still be delicious. Many of the recipes can be made with many items already on hand (spices, herbs, cabinet/pantry staple wise), though some recipes will may need a trip to the store or some online digging depending on where you live. A nice addition to anyones collection that goes from breakfast to your last snack of the day. There is something in here for even the pickiest eater. Some easier than others, but lots of options.

This is a great cookbook with beautiful photos and a ton of information. My doctor told me recently that I have “non-celiac gluten intolerance”, so I’ve been on the hunt for new recipes. I love that this cookbook has a listing of the recipes that are gluten-free, dairy-free, etc, which really comes in handy for those of us who have food allergies. I would recommend it to everyone, but especially those who deal with food sensitivities.

There is a lot of info in this book, and unless you truly want to dive into this in super full details, this book is for you. If you're just browsing for great recipes, this will take a little bit to get there. But that's the point of these "diet" cookbooks, right? Learning the proper way to attack the diet itself. I liked most of these recipes, but boy, you have to truly build up your pantry to get the whole effect of this. But the directions were written well and the recipes are truly mouth watering. With the vibrance of Mediterranean cooking, I wish though there were more pictures to really reel me in. What can I say? I'm a sucker for pictures when it comes to cookbooks!

Thank you to NetGalley and BenBella Books for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

I received a copy of this eBook from netGalley for a honest review.

I loved the recipes in this book. It has a large vegetarian options and a good amount of vegan recipes too. All listed in the back for easy reference. The pictures and quotes made the recipes seem even more relatable and the information in the beginning was helpful. I will look into the other cookbooks by these authors and hopefully own a copy of this one soon!

I had high hoes for this one.

There are a lot of expensive ingredients and a lot of things I can not eat. As someone with a digestive disorder, there was a bit of dairy!

It sounds good and looks good however.

Thank you BenBella Books and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this wonderful book. This straightforward, easy to follow book with beautiful photos of completed dishes covers the whole Mediterranean region, providing quick, healthy recipes that the whole family will enjoy. I especially enjoyed the hacks provided after each recipe in order to adjust/adapt it to various diets/preferences (i.e. dairy free, vegan, etc.) Looking forward to trying some of the recipes with my family.

The introduction before each recipe explaining the health benefits of various ingredients were very informative. The health benefits seem far reaching. I like the za'tar hack since I don't have Mediterranean spices nearby.

Thank you BenBella Books and NetGalley for the ARC of the book.

The Smart Mediterranean Diet Cookbook had some great and easy recipes to add to my daily routine. Most of the recipes could be made from the ingredients that most of the people already have in their pantry or could buy in a local store. I wish there were more pictures of the meals because some recipes were new to me and visual depictions of the final meal would really compliment the recipes.

I believe the mediterranean diet is a healthy option for consideration and I was excited to review this cookbook. This book seemed to have a lot of introductory material talking about the diet and the inclusions in the diet. While there was nothing wrong with this, I was hoping for more recipes and less discussion. This is a personal preference of mine and not a reflection of the quality of this book. I would suggest this for someone that wants to lot more up front description on the diet.

So many recipes using a lot of things you already have in your pantry and buy on a weekly basis . The recipes look delicious and are easy to follow. My favorite thing is that at the end of each recipe there is a Healthy Kitchen Hack and some of the are great and I bet you’ve never heard it before.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

We've been working on eating a Mediterranean diet recently to better fuel our bodies and it has really made a difference in how we feel. This cookbook is a great resource, filled with delicious sounding recipes that are not too difficult to make and don' require strange or hard to find ingredients. I've made a couple of recipes so far and they were great!

This cookbook will help you solve those never-ending questions of "What's for dinner?" "How to eat healthy" at the same time!

These docs-dietitians know what they're talking about. Their emphasis is on keeping your mind sharp and healthy through food. Full nutritional information and easy instructions are coupled with photos that will make you hungry.

If you love the Mediterranean diet or just want to check out what the fuss of the past few years is about, get a copy.